Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Crash Site of Skydivers Discovered; Details Emerge about Wisconsin Shooting; Security Company in Iraq Kills Two in Shooting
Aired October 09, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Clearing the air, one of America's biggest power companies agrees to spend billions of dollars to cut pollution in coal country. Pollution blamed for smog and acid rain throughout the northeast. The EPA calls this a historic day.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Faith and finances. Politics and power. Trying times at Oral Roberts University, which three ex-professors claim is being plundered by the university president and his family. We'll get chapter and verse.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: But first, we start with this. Deadly gun fire in Southern California. We're following breaking news out of Simi Valley, where police say two people are dead, two others are in critical condition. These pictures courtesy our affiliate, KCAL, coming from Simi Valley.
The shooting happened at a place called Tire Pros. No word on whether the shooter is one of the dead. We'll keep following this story, and we'll bring you the very latest on it.
PHILLIPS: Well, a grim search in the Cascade Mountains. Searchers are trying to recover bodies from the wreckage of a small plane discovered last night.
Let's get straight to Katharine Barrett near the scene. She's in White Pass, Washington -- Katharine.
KATHARINE BARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, some of the family members of those crash victims are still lingering in the area here behind me just after a press conference from the Yakima County sheriff.
It was a very emotional press conference. After initially declining to speak to the media, some family members stepped forward to describe this group of skydivers, all ages but many of them very young, who they said lived life to the fullest and apparently have all perished in this plane crash two nights ago.
They called it a close knit group of people who now are all suffering together. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY CRAIG, BROTHER CASEY DIED IN CRASH: The people -- just my friends. They were all my family. Obviously, my brother, but -- we love you guys. Thanks for coming out and helping, the rescuers, search and rescue, appreciate it. And just keeping us intact and letting us know everything that you could possibly let us know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARRETT: And those mostly volunteer rescuers will spend the next one to three days carefully retrieving the bodies of those young men and women.
After that, the investigation and the crash site will be turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate what might possibly have caused this crash.
One thing we did learn from the press conference just concluded was that the crash site is quite small, leaving investigators, here at least on the local level, to believe that the plane must have hit at about 70 miles an hour and came, as one person described it, virtually straight down -- Wolf (sic).
PHILLIPS: All right. Katharine Barrett live from White Pass, Washington. Appreciate it.
LEMON: New details are coming out in Sunday's shocking rampage in Crandon, Wisconsin. A friend of the gunman tells a Milwaukee newspaper that Tyler Peterson showed up at his ex-girlfriend's house, hoping to patch things up. They reportedly argued, and her friends began taunting him, calling him a worthless pig.
The sheriff's deputy stormed out, returned with his work-issued assault rifle, and started shooting. Six young people were killed. Officials say Peterson died after a shootout with the SWAT team when negotiations for his surrender failed.
Meanwhile, we're putting faces to the names as pictures are released of the young victims. All were students or recent graduates of Crandon High School. Twenty-year-old Aaron Smith, 18-year-old Leanna Thomas, 18-year-old Katrina McCorkle and 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl, also 20-year-old Bradley Schultz and 18-year-old Jordanne Murray, the young woman reported to be the former girlfriend of that gunman.
PHILLIPS: A seventh shooting victim survived, 21-year-old Charlie Neitzel. He is said to be in serious condition right now, but he's recovering. His mother says that he's scheduled for surgery sometime today to remove internal debris from his wounds.
Carole tells us -- or tells, actually, the "Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel" that her son, quote, "tried to talk Tyler Peterson out of his actions and tried to jump on him." She says he survived because, quote, "he dove into the corner and pretended to be dead." Now, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, you're going to hear from Pastor Bill Farr. Not only did Farr's son grow up with Tyler Peterson, but Peterson's family asked Farr to read a statement from them after the massacre. That's straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Eight years after it began a power struggle between the U.S. government and a major electric company is over.
American Electric Power has agreed to pay more than $4.5 billion to cut chemical emissions at its plants, the largest environmental settlement in Justice Department history.
The feds, along with environmental groups in eight states, first took the company to court back in 1999, claiming the company violated the Clean Air Act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON TENPAS, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: In bringing this case, the government alleged that the company had made major modifications to many of its coal-fired power plants in the eastern United States, changes that led it to emit more air pollution.
We allege that the company should have obtained a permit and installed pollution-control devices, often called best available control technology, in order to prevent these emissions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: American Electric does not have to admit guilt in the settlement.
Government lawyers claim the changes will save more than $30 billion a year in pollution-related medical costs.
American Electric Power is based in Columbus, Ohio. It owns and operates about 80 generating stations in the U.S. According to its web site, it has more than five million customers in 11 states: Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. None of those states was part of the lawsuit.
PHILLIPS: Don't sweat it. A cold front is definitely on the way, right, Chad Myers?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. What a day for a marathon in Chicago. I might even be able to go a half a block in Chicago today. Sixty-eight, Kyra. How's that?
PHILLIPS: What was it -- where was the marathon yesterday where they had to call it off because of the heat stroke? Was that in Chicago?
MYERS: That was in Chicago.
PHILLIPS: It was in the last part of the news yesterday. MYERS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I can't believe that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: The high today in Minneapolis, morning lows down into the 20s and the 30s. And you know, the people in Minneapolis, in Minnesota, Kyra, they like some kind of weather like this. When it's 106 in Minneapolis, nobody's happy about that. So...
PHILLIPS: Well, they're not happy, either, when they're in the middle of massive snowstorms, when they can't even get out of the house.
MYERS: You might be surprised, because there's a snowmobile in the backyard.
PHILLIPS: I lived there. I remember shoveling the driveway. That was not fun.
MYERS: I know. At least...
PHILLIPS: Talk your neighbor into doing it, though. That helps out.
MYERS: And the kids, we used to get -- we used to get $1 for every inch of snow. So we hoped for a 10-inch snowstorm because we'd get 10 bucks for that snowfall, to shovel it off a big wide driveway, a driveway that I couldn't even do now.
Here's Chicago. We have some -- we have a towercam for you. Clear skies today. Oh, what a nice day. Looking right up the lakeshore. WLS, our affiliate there. Chicago, Illinois.
LEMON: Look at the lakefront.
MYERS: You know, I could almost run from that one white building to the next white building today.
LEMON: Isn't it beautiful?
MYERS: Not up the lakeshore. But you know.
LEMON: My executive producer is from Chicago.
Jen, are you looking at that?
MYERS: Isn't that gorgeous?
LEMON: Yes. She's in my ear. She's listening.
OK. Sorry. Kyra. Say, "Thank you, Chad."
PHILLIPS: We're going to talk about faith and fortune, money and ministry, coming up next. They're all part of a legal tempest in Tulsa. Former Oral Roberts University professors profess wrongdoing on the president's part. That's coming up. They talk more about their claims.
But others claim that they say, well, that they're best left private.
LEMON: Also, Kyra, coming up, a cool new gadget. It might not download songs or play movies, but it might just save our lives.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Twelve past the hour. Three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We have breaking news. It's out of Simi Valley, California. A shooting at a tire shop has killed two people and left two others in critical condition. No word on whether the shooter is among them.
Police now say all ten people on a Cessna plane are dead after a crash in rugged terrain in Washington state. The plane was carrying nine skydivers and a pilot. A recovery team has identified seven bodies and is combing the wreckage for the rest. We're going to speak with some of the family members in just a moment here.
New and chilling details about Sunday's massacre in northern Wisconsin. Quoting a friend of gunman Tyler Peterson, the "Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel" says Peterson went to his ex-girlfriend's house, hoping to patch things up. But then he reportedly lost control when her friends called him a worthless pig.
Peterson killed six people and later died in a shoot-out with a SWAT team.
PHILLIPS: Now we want to get back to White Pass, Washington, live where the family of Casey Craig joins us live. We told you about this plane that was carrying the nine skydivers and a pilot. One of those lives lost was Casey.
We just heard a live news conference. We now are able to join the family.
I know that most of you have mics and IFBs. Possibly Mom, Wanda, doesn't so I'm going to ask that the rest of you maybe let her know what we're talking about if I, indeed, have a question.
But Dad, let's start with you. Tell us about your son.
DENNIS CRAIG, SON KILLED IN PLANE CRASH: Casey was 30 years old. He was a fun-loving boy -- a man, 30 years old, but he owned his own home. He owned his own business, very successful. And he had ten friends in that plane that -- that he enjoyed being with, and that's the reason why they're there.
PHILLIPS: Ivy, tell me about your brother. IVY GREEN, BROTHER KILLED IN PLANE CRASH: Casey is my little brother, and I wouldn't have it any other way. He's one of my best friends.
K. CRAIG: Crazy Casey.
GREEN: Casey, Casey, Casey. He was crazy. He was fun. He was loving. He loved animals. He loved to build things. He loved his friends, and he loved to skydive.
PHILLIPS: Kelly, tell me about your brother.
K. CRAIG: Boy. Always -- I have always treated him like my little brother, but I probably didn't need to be as hard as I always was. He was -- he's just an incredible guy, just incredible. He's -- he was everything from a handyman -- if you were making dinner he wanted to be part of helping you out in the kitchen, too.
GREEN: From McGuyver to Betty Crocker.
PHILLIPS: He sounds like he was quite -- quite the character there in the family. And I don't think your mom has an IFB in. But if one of you could just have your mom...
GREEN: Mom...
PHILLIPS: ... have Wanda tell us about Casey.
K. CRAIG: Anything you want to say about Casey?
GREEN: Say something about Casey, Mom.
WANDA CRAIG, SON DIED IN PLANE CRASH: Casey's my youngest son. He's in this picture here on my left, and they all had a blast skydiving, and this accident happened from a plane crash. It wasn't from skydiving. And he would be doing it again today if it was his brother that it had happened to.
K. CRAIG: He would tell all you jumpers to keep jumping.
PHILLIPS: Well, Ivy, expand on that.
D. CRAIG: He had over -- he had over 600 jumps.
PHILLIPS: Six hundred jumps.
GREEN: Keep going (ph) to all you jumpers.
Casey had 500 some jumps.
K. CRAIG: Almost 600.
GREEN: Almost 600.
K. CRAIG: He was going for his tandem rating.
GREEN: He was going for his tandem rating. And this didn't happen from skydiving.
PHILLIPS: Well...
GREEN: He was -- it was an accident.
PHILLIPS: And let's talk about the skydiving and why it meant so much to him, why he loved it.
I mean, Dad, you immediately said, you know, he had almost 600 jumps. I mean, he took a lot of pride in that. Tell us what it meant to him and why this was an important hobby.
D. CRAIG: Well, you've got to understand that skydiving is a community of friends, and Kelly...
GREEN: Kelly has over 3,000 jumps.
D. CRAIG: ... has over 3,000 jumps. And -- and it's a community of friends, and he had wine Wednesday at his house every week, and they were all skydivers.
K. CRAIG: They would just come over and make dinner.
GREEN: Make dinner.
D. CRAIG: Make dinner. And it was just part of a family. All those people in our -- in that plane were part of Casey's family.
PHILLIPS: So Kelly, you don't want folks to think, "Oh, gosh. See, this is why we should never skydive"? There's a different attitude and understanding.
K. CRAIG: This is -- yes. This is just -- this is just an accident. This is a plane flight. This had nothing to do with skydiving. They were not jumping out of a plane. They were flying in between one airport to another. They weren't going to get out. We don't know what happened for sure yet, but...
D. CRAIG: They got caught in the mountains. We're in a -- the place here that's so treacherous.
GREEN: If you could see what we're looking at around us, it was an accident.
D. CRAIG: This is beautiful and treacherous.
PHILLIPS: Wow. There's such a message here. No. 1...
W. CRAIG: ... for United Airlines and -- it was an accident.
D. CRAIG: I'd like to say one thing quickly while I'm still on the air.
PHILLIPS: Go right ahead, Dennis.
D. CRAIG: I want -- I want my son back, the rescue workers worked for two straight days...
GREEN: Please bring him down the hill.
D. CRAIG: ... and they will bring him back to us.
The rescue workers...
K. CRAIG: The Red Cross.
GREEN: The Red Cross.
D. CRAIG: Everybody here was just wonderful. But we're going to get our son back. And I want to say to the rest of the families that...
GREEN: We're so sorry.
D. CRAIG: We're so sorry for all the rest of the families who were in that plane. There were ten people in that plane.
K. CRAIG: All family.
D. CRAIG: All family.
GREEN: All family.
PHILLIPS: And I know Wanda wanted to add something. Go ahead. Tell her to go ahead, Ivy.
K. CRAIG: Was there something you wanted to add, Mom?
D. CRAIG: They wanted you to talk.
K. CRAIG: Just there something you wanted to add?
W. CRAIG: Just that you guys take flights every day. It was just an accident. I fly for United. It's just an accident that happens. It's not from skydiving. Not at all. They're a great, great bunch of people out there, and they all are just having a blast.
PHILLIPS: So Kelly, the search continues.
W. CRAIG: Thanks for being here and that's helping to bring our son down. If we had to do it, it would take a lifetime.
K. CRAIG: Yes, it continues.
PHILLIPS: I hear you, Wanda.
GREEN: We're going to bring him home. We're going to bring them all home.
D. CRAIG: We love him. We still love him.
PHILLIPS: Well, I have to say I'm humbled by all of you and just how strong you're remaining. And we will definitely continue to follow the recovery team's efforts, and we will talk to you again.
But Kelly, Ivy, Dennis and Wanda, thank you so much just for sharing the pictures, talking about Casey and spending a few minutes with me. I really appreciate it.
K. CRAIG: You're welcome. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right. That's the Craig family right there. White Pass.
LEMON: Very strong family. And we wish them all the best.
Let's talk now about gunfire in Baghdad. Two women die and Iraqi sources say people in a private security convoy were responsible. Now the intense scrutiny of security contractors in the war zone may get even more intense.
Let's go straight to Baghdad and CNN's Alessio Vinci.
Alessio, what do we know about the latest shootout involving a private security contractor?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, what we do know is what two sources within the Iraqi interior ministry are telling us, and that is that a private security convoy belonging to a western company was involved in a shooting incident earlier this afternoon here in Baghdad, and as a result of that shooting incident, two women driving in one car were shot dead.
We understand as many as 19 bullets have hit their car and, according to our sources, killing these two women instantly.
We spoke to one eyewitness who seems to suggest that their car may have come too close to that security convoy, who may have -- which may have felt this was a car bomb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The car, an Oldsmobile, came out from that street, and there were two women. What a shame. They got very close to the convoy, so they shot at them to warn them. But I think the driver got confused or even scared. Then they start shooting at her. Yes, they killed them. They killed these two women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VINCI: And Don, we do not know which private security firm was involved in this shooting incident. As you know, there are dozens operating here in Iraq. Thousands of private guards are hired by these security firms.
What we do know, however, is that Blackwater is not involved into it. Their spokesman telling us that they have nothing to do with this shootout. And we also understand from an embassy spokesman that no State Department convoy was involved in this incident.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: And Alessio, the Iraqi government announced measures aimed at Blackwater, based on their investigation's findings. What are the details on that?
VINCI: Well, a senior Iraqi official told that basically their side of the investigation is complete, and in their words, they're saying that the actions by Blackwater three weeks ago, in which 17 civilians were killed are, quote, "premeditated murder."
And they also want Blackwater to pay up to $8 million for each of the family members of the victims. And they also want Blackwater employees to be -- those involved in the shooting, of course -- to be tried here in Iraq.
The question, of course, is whether or not Iraqi courts have jurisdiction over these Blackwater employees. We do know that Blackwater operates here under -- with a State Department contract, which basically makes those employees immune from prosecution.
And if course, the larger question is whether or not any of these families will receive any compensation. There is an ongoing joint U.S./Iraqi commission which is expected to make recommendations in the coming days or weeks.
And those recommendations will include, of course, accountability, will include possibly the review of the rules of engagement, and also, how the security firms operating for -- operating here in Iraq can operate without hurting civilians as they do their job.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: CNN's Alessio Vinci in Baghdad.
Thank you very much, Alessio.
Elsewhere in Iraq today, at least 22 are dead, 30 wounded in a northern city after two suicide truck bombings just moments apart. Police say Sunni tribal leaders who turned against al Qaeda were the target of that attack.
In Baghdad bombers killed 12 civilians. Gunmen killed four more. In a neighboring province, a police official was assassinated.
PHILLIPS: Controversy at Oral Roberts University. Were school resources used for personal luxuries? The allegations, and school president Richard Roberts responds. Straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
But first, "Fortune" magazine just released a list of the 50 most powerful women in this country. And throughout the week, we'll be highlighting some of these top executives. Before we tell you who they are, we'll give you a chance to take a guess.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She sold makeup door to door and has climbed the corporate ladder at Neiman-Marcus and Bloomingdales. Now, she heads up one of the largest female-run firms in the country.
So who's the woman who transforms beauty into bucks? We'll tell you after the break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming in ninth on "Fortune" magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business list, Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO of Avon products. She's given Avon a makeover by targeting teens and launching new products.
Stocks are up 15 percent this year, and with Reese Witherspoon as the new face of Avon, Jung plans on bringing more attention to women's issues, such as breast cancer and domestic violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: More business news now. Longtime rivals Miller Light and Coors Light will soon be sold by the same company. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest on what's brewing with the brew makers.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. How about this for a tag line?
LEMON: OK.
LISOVICZ: Tastes great, less billing. Got it?
LEMON: OK, that's sort of an inside. Yes, yes, I got it. I got it.
LISOVICZ: All right. Well, Molson Coors and SABMiller are combining their U.S. operations and forming Miller Coors.
Don't worry. They're not going to choose one beer over another, get rid of your favorite brand. Instead, the combined venture will sell all of their brands, from Miller High Life to Coors, Blue Moon.
The companies hope to save half a billion dollars by combining efforts. The reason: while beer sales overall have been bubbling, sales of domestic beers have gone flat or worse. A lot of people reaching for the fancier stuff, Don.
LEMON: So what can the average beer drinker expect from this new venture? Is it going to be cheaper? I don't know.
LISOVICZ: No. You know, it never seems to get down to the consumer...
LEMON: Better tasting, less filling? I don't know.
LISOVICZ: Well, you're going to have more of a selection.
LEMON: OK.
LISOVICZ: And that is good for a consumer. At least that's what -- that's the possibility. If you're a fan of the major brands, certainly you won't notice much. But don't be surprised to see more variety.
Beer drinkers, after all, have been shifting their taste to more imports and micro brews lately. London-based Miller has a huge portfolio of those kind of beers.
For example, maybe you haven't heard of the Polish lager Dog in the Fog. That is an image. Miller has an Indian beer called Knock Out. Also quite an image. A Romanian beer called Ursus and a beer from Ghana called Xcape (ph).
With the way the trends are heading who know if any of these imports could end up one day becoming household names. Remember, Corona was just a little Mexican beer.
LEMON: Yes. I've had the Knock Out, too.
LISOVICZ: Oh, you have?
LEMON: Yes. When I was in India. I had the Knock Out. Remember?
LISOVICZ: That's right. I'm sure you were researching a story while you were...
LEMON: It was for research. And you know, I had to do it. So there you go.
LISOVICZ: There you go.
LEMON: And Mexico, I researched the Corona, as well.
LISOVICZ: You know what? We'll going to have to get some beer stories out of you.
(STOCK REPORT)
LISOVICZ: Right now the Dow Industrials are down two points, the NASDAQ composite down one point. It's slow here, folks. But it may warm up, and actually, it may warm up outside, too.
The cold weather, however, is coming, and so are higher heating bills. That's in the next hour of NEWSROOM. The cold, hard truth.
LEMON: Unfortunately.
LISOVICZ: Back to you, Don and Kyra.
LEMON: Yes, those bills can get up high. Yes.
OK, Kyra says hi.
PHILLIPS: Don't -- don't pull me into that beer conversation now.
LISOVICZ: No. Your restraint was -- was most impressive.
PHILLIPS: All right. See you in a little bit, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Well, is detecting trouble before a heart attack strikes as simple as waving a wand? Well, take a look at this new portable ultrasound. We're going to tell you all about it, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.
The tempest in Tulsa -- a school founded in the fires of evangelism finds itself in the heat of a controversy.
LEMON: You'll hear from the accuser and the accused straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Deadly gunfire in Southern California. We're following breaking news out of Simi Valley right now, where there's been a shooting at a tire shop. Police say two people are dead, two others in critical condition. It happened at a place called The Tire Pros. No word on whether the shooter is one of the dead.
Ted Rowlands is on the way to the scene. We'll bring you the latest as soon as he gets there.
LEMON: Well, the president of Oral Roberts University says when the real truth is known there will be no more questions. But for now, there are lots of questions. Starting with, did Richard Roberts and his family mix faith with fortune, for their own benefit?
CNN's David Mattingly takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prayer is a staple of life at Tulsa, Oklahoma's Oral Roberts University. Maybe even more now than usual.
JOHN SWAILS, FORMER ORU PROFESSOR: We thought, oh, no. We thought, maybe this isn't true. TIM BROOKER, FORMER ORU PROFESSOR: We hope this isn't true.
SWAILS: So, we began to pray.
MATTINGLY: Tim Brooker and John Swails are among three former ORU professors who tell CNN they were fired after reporting information that, if true, could cost the university untold millions.
BROOKER: It could easily lose its tax exempt status.
MATTINGLY: Brooker says university president Richard Roberts ordered him to use students and the political expertise of his government studies program to support a family friend running for mayor. The candidate lost, and Brooker says he was ordered to take responsibility when the IRS investigated complaints.
But that was nothing compared to what the professors say happened next. They claim it started with a computer belonging to Roberts' sister-in-law.
BROOKER: She loaned her computer to one of the students to use during the campaign. And it was while he was in possession of the loaned computer that he discovered these files which were stored on the hard drive.
MATTINGLY: The contents of those files are described in a lawsuit that portrays Richard Roberts and his wife, Lindsay, as big spenders, using the school's resources for personal luxury.
Allegations listed include using the university jet to send a daughter and friends to the Bahamas; remodeling the Roberts' home at university expense 11 times in 14 years; spending $51,000 on clothes; and renovating a spacious home office into a massive walk-in closet.
But it doesn't stop there. A house, cars, and thousands of dollars in cell phone bills, all allegedly paid for by the university and the evangelical ministry. And the professors claim some things in the files, even they don't want public.
BROOKER: We're interested in truth and we're interested in justice, and the things that were in those files, if untrue, would be so damaging that they could never recover. I just am not comfortable going any further. That's why we didn't put them in.
MATTINGLY: The suit also accuses Lindsay Roberts of cell phone bills exceeding $800 a month with more than 800 text messages, many "from Mrs. Roberts were sent to underage males, often between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., who had been provided phones at university expense."
We contacted ORU officials for comment, but there was no reply. In a statement last week, the university said the allegations were based on unsubstantiated rumors and innuendoes, and that it will deal with them through the legal process.
RICHARD ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY: We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person, whether they have a legitimate case or not.
MATTINGLY: At chapel services last week, Roberts also responded, saying, God had given him these words.
ROBERTS: It is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion. Make no mistake about it, this suit is about money. I am confident that when the real truth is known, there will be no more questions.
MATTINGLY: Roberts' accusers are seeking unspecified damages for breech of contract and defamation. They say the lawsuit is not about money.
(on camera): What is God telling you?
SWAILS: He's telling us that he put us in this position, and he's directing us to make a stand.
MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And we know this story has a lot of you talking. And we want to hear your thoughts about this controversy brewing at Oral Roberts university. Make sure you send us your comments. The address is CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. And we'll read some of them throughout the afternoon right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And you've heard from the accusers. Well, tonight the accused states his case to Larry King. An exclusive interview with Oral Roberts' president, Richard Roberts, tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
(NEWSBREAK)
PHILLIPS: When wedded bliss turns to marital misery. A loveless marriage can break your heart in more ways than you think. We'll explain in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, it could fit in a doctor's pocket, but its impact could be huge.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been checking out the new portable ultrasounds, writing notes as we speak right here, so I make sure I ask you all the right things, because it's very technical. It's pretty fascinating, looking at ...
ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is pretty cool.
PHILLIPS: ...the little -- watching Sanjay demonstrate it this morning.
COHEN: Right, absolutely, these gizmos are really neat. These are little portable ultrasound machines. These machines weigh about four pounds -- or two pounds, rather. Compare that to something that weighs 400 pounds. So, here it is. Again, it looks like a cell phone, a lot more than an ultrasound, but it really is an ultrasound machine. There's a couple different companies that sell them and some new ones have come out recently. The benefit of course, it's portable. So, if for some reason, a doctor can't get a patient to one of those 400-pound ultrasound machines, you can bring the two-pound version right to the patient.
PHILLIPS: A lot of people might want to get one of these to use at home, or take with them, and -- is it easy to get one? Can they get their hands on one?
COHEN: Technically speaking, you can't buy these from the company. We called the three companies that make these portable ultrasounds, and they said uh-uh, if just a plain old person calls us, we're not going to sell it to them. We only sell to doctors and other health professionals.
But, remember Tom and Katie. Yes, Tom and Katie, they bought an ultrasound machine when they wanted to see pictures of their cute little baby before it -- when she was still a fetus. And they got an ultrasound machine in their house. So, it shows that you can get one of these if you're just a plain old civilian.
And in fact, we went on the Internet and we found that people do sell ultrasound machines on the Internet. So, who knows, maybe you can find one of these little ones there.
PHILLIPS: I don't know, are they really plain old civilians, I mean, they've got a lot of money, they're Hollywood stars.
COHEN: That's true, but when we called the companies, we said if we had enough money to buy one of your really expensive ultrasound machines, and the portable ones are $10,000.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
COHEN: Would you sell them? And they said no, it doesn't matter how much money you had, we're only selling to health professionals. And the reason for that, they said, is that you want to be a health professional when you use one of these.
Let's say you use one of these new ones, and you don't know anything about medicine. You may use it on your neck and say, oh I see a clogged artery there, this makes me nervous. Well, you may just not know what you're looking at, or you may take an ultrasound ...
PHILLIPS: Right, you're not a doctor.
COHEN: You're not a doctor. You may take an ultrasound of your fetus and say, it looks like they have eight fingers on one hand. Well, maybe you just don't know what you're looking at.
PHILLIPS: You have to admit, that's a good point. I wouldn't want to get nervous about trying to diagnose myself.
COHEN: Right, exactly.
PHILLIPS: But the standard ultrasound machine, that's a lot bigger ...
COHEN: Right.
PHILLIPS: ...it's in the doctor's office, is there a difference between the two, is one better than another, or are they the same thing?
COHEN: Yes, we're told that the bigger ultrasound machines, the one that most people see in their doctor's offices, you see it right there, that big old ultrasound, that is better. It gives a better resolution, it gives people a better idea of what they're looking at.
So, that the benefit of these little ones is not really the resolution, the benefit is that it can give sort of a quicker idea, if you can't get the patient to the big ultrasound. You take the little ultrasound to the patient, you get sort of a rough idea of what you're looking at, and then you can move them on from there.
PHILLIPS: Pretty interesting, unbelievable, the technology.
COHEN: That's right, it's incredible.
PHILLIPS: Pretty soon, it'll be in our iPod.
COHEN: That's right. All you'll need is an iPod to see your clogged arteries, that's right.
PHILLIPS: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thank you.
LEMON: Speaking of medical news, you know, you might need an ultrasound for this. Till death do us part could take on new meaning in troubled marriages. Scientists at University College in London say bad relationships can lead to heart disease.
Researchers studied some 9,000 British civil servants over 12 years. Those in bad marriages or other messy close relationships, were 34 percent more likely to have heart attacks or other heart problems. Scientists say that stress is the likely culprit. But bailing out may not be the best solution. Other studies suggest being single can raise your risk, too.
What do you do in that? Stay single, don't get married? I don't know.
PHILLIPS: The ultimate question.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, just in to CNN, Michigan's primary will be missing a few Democrats, a strategic move for the Obama, Edwards and Richardson campaign. Sound confusing? Don't worry, Bill Schneider's here, he's part of the best political team on television. He's going to explain it all to us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: News concerning America Votes 2008 just coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM, and I want to read this. John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, we're hearing pulling out of the Michigan January 15th Democratic presidential primary. Also pulling out, according to the Associated Press, is Barack Obama.
We want to go to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider to get us some perspective on this. Bill, why would they do this?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, well, it's a big surprise. Look, here are the Republicans, all nine of them debating today in Michigan, and the Democrats are pulling their names off the Michigan ballot.
Well, Michigan violated the Democratic party's rules, it moved its primary up to January 15th. So, all the Democratic candidates had already agreed not to campaign in Michigan because the state had violated the party rules. Only four states were allowed by the National Party to move up, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. When Michigan moved its primary up, the candidates said they wouldn't campaign there.
But what's interesting is today, they're taking that one step further. Not only are they not campaigning there, they are actually filing papers to pull their names off the Michigan primary ballot. So, you cannot vote for Biden or for Obama or Edwards or Richardson in that January 15th Democratic primary.
LEMON: Oh, OK, and I'm just getting this, because we're just getting this in, Bill. I want to read this to you and then, get some reaction from you. Let's see.
"We're very disappointed, and this is another example of why the monopoly that Iowa and New Hampshire have needs to end," said the Michigan Democratic party spokesman today. Declined to speculate about whether the party may decide to move back its primary or to hold a caucus instead, Bill. You want to comment on that?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, there have been challenges from the National Party that they should move back to when -- to February when the official window opens ...
LEMON: Right.
SCHNEIDER: ...to schedule primaries or maybe have a caucus so they can select their official delegates on another date.
Why are the Democrats doing that? Notice Hillary Clinton has until the end of the day to remove her name. She hasn't done anything yet. The candidates who've removed their names know that if there is no campaign in Michigan and there's unlikely to be, they have all agreed they won't campaign there, if there's no campaign, Hillary Clinton is likely to win the Michigan primary.
Well, if that happens, they don't want it to count. They want a Clinton victory not to matter and the best way of making sure it doesn't matter is that she won't have any competition. So, that the idea is they're protecting themselves. They want Iowa and New Hampshire, the smaller states where they've invested a lot of time and money and energy, that's where they think they can stop Hillary Clinton much more easily than Michigan.
LEMON: OK, and just receiving confirmation as well, Bill, that Barack Obama for CNN has indeed pulled out as well. What does this mean for other states who are trying to move it up as well, Florida for example. But they haven't pulled out of that one yet.
SCHNEIDER: No, they haven't. They have agreed, as in Michigan, not to campaign in Florida because that state also has moved its primary early and violated party rules. So, they agreed they would not campaign in Florida. They can go there to raise money, but not campaign, they can't spend their money there on things like television ads.
So, there's a big question: are they going to pull their names off the ballot in Florida? Are they allowed to do that? Some states don't even allow you to pull your name off, they can -- the party can put your name on the ballot.
But my guess is if they pull their names off the ballot in Michigan, they're probably want to pull their names off the ballot in Florida because the same thing applies. If there's no campaign, Hillary Clinton is very likely to win, and they don't want a Clinton win in those big states to count.
LEMON: Ah, OK. Bill, thank you.
Also getting word, too, Bill, and I don't know if you want to comment on this, as well. They have 'til the end of the day. So, do you think others may decide to do the same thing, or no?
SCHNEIDER: Entirely possible ...
LEMON: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: ...there are a few candidates left where there are eight Democrats. But the big question is: will Hillary Clinton pull her name ...
LEMON: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: ...off the Michigan primary ballot? And she may feel compelled to because look, if everybody -- if none of her major competitors are running, then she may acknowledge, well, a victory doesn't mean much and she'll be out of sorts with the National Democratic Party if she continues to have her name on the ballot there.
LEMON: All right. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider, thank you so much for that.
And again, CNN is confirming that Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, and John Edwards have pulled their names off the Michigan January 15th ballot. This is in part -- a battle over states like Michigan and Florida violating party rules by moving their primary dates up.
And we also -- as Bill mentioned, the GOP holding a debate this afternoon. We're going to have our John King come up for you live in just a little bit and give us -- talk to us about what's happening there.
And you can see all of the day's political news any time of day or night at CNN.com/ticker. We're constantly updating it for you with the very latest from the candidates right on the campaign trail.
PHILLIPS: He had to take off his top before he could fly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So to undress in front of 132 people to put a new shirt on, it's unbelievable embarrassment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Is a major airline setting a fashion code? We're going to take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, for the second time in three months, Southwest Airlines has told a passenger to change clothes or be grounded.
CNN's Susan Candiotti reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): OK, whether you think Joe Winiecki's favorite T-shirt is funny or not, or offensive or not, he says he didn't think twice when he wore it to fly home to Tampa from Columbus. But Southwest Airlines told Winiecki he'd have to change his T because the sexual double entendre saying was a bit much.
JOE WINIECKI, SOUTHWEST PASSENGER: She's like, sir, either you turn your shirt inside out or change it or I'm going to have to ask you to come off the plane.
CANDIOTTI: In July, this young woman also got an ultimatum from Southwest. Cover up that sexy look or grab another airline. She covered up. Winiecki complied, too. He had to get home.
WINIECKI: So to undress in front of 132 people to put a new shirt on, it's unbelievable embarrassment.
CANDIOTTI: This from the same airline that used to run commercials that reeked of sex appeal. In both cases, after massive publicity, the young woman and Joe Winiecki, wound up getting apologies from Southwest. No hard feelings, he says. He'll keep flying them and he's definitely keeping that shirt.
(on camera): Southwest tells CNN it does not have a dress code, and does not want to be the fashion police. And, the airline plans on working with its employees to try to overlook some situations or cool down customers who might be offended by what their fellow passengers are wearing.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
